Some numerical figures regarding my commute to work today …
- No. of minutes spent hauling bucket after bucket of hot water to melt the 1/2-inch of ice on the steps outside of my apartment: 20-30
- No. of minutes spent chipping ice off the windshield and exterior of my car: 20-30
- No. of minutes spent driving up Lamar Blvd. to get to work because I wanted to avoid the freeway: 60
- No. of minutes spent heading home on MoPac: 60
It took me two hours to get to work today. I waited till the weathermen reported the temperatures was at least 35 degrees before I started to melt the ice on my steps. In my zealousness to scrape the ice from my car — I used a screwdriver-type tool as an icepick — I ended up scratching the paint on my hood and my windshield. Oops.
I was rather amazed by the 1/2-inch of ice that built up on everything. The sight of my car complete encased in ice was just … weird. When I finally did get big chunks of ice off my car, it was tricky stepping around or through it once it fell on the ground. At one point during my drive up Lamar, a sizable chunk went flying off the hood. It looked like it would hit my windshield, but it didn’t. I was hoping it wouldn’t cause an accident behind me.
All that scraping and melting caught up with me in the afternoon — I wanted to take a nap at my desk.
This weekend, I’m eating out. I’m tired of frozen dinners and my own cooking. I had three days of it.